The growing interest by Russian architects with Pompeian
design originated in the early1800s with a large number of artists and painters
working in Italy. The architect Alexander Briullov studied in Rome and Naples
in 1824-1825 funded by the Imperial Court. His book ‘Thermes
de Pompéi’ was published in Paris in 1829. After the 1837, Briullov was appointed
to supervise restoration works in the Winter Palace.
Ukhtomsky's Painting
of Briullov’s Pompeian Dining Room (below) part of Empress Alexandra’s suite on
the 2nd floor of the Winter Palace
In the
early 1840s, Prince Albert commissioned Ludwig Gruner to oversee the decoration
of a
garden pavilion in the grounds of Buckingham Palace for Queen Victoria. One of
the rooms was a Pompeian Dining Room painted by the Italian artist Agostino
Aglio.
Painting
of the Pompeian Dining Room (below) in the garden pavilion of Buckingham Palace
Did Prince Albert and Queen Victoria show the garden
pavilion to Nicholas I during his visit to London in 1844?
In the first Russian guidebook to Pompeii in the 1800s,
the author noted that ‘the use of garish and contrasting colors strikes a
modern spectator unpleasantly and requires a certain effort to comprehend it’.
The color scheme of the rooms was one of the reasons why it did not agree with
the later tastes of the public.
I didn't know about the pavilion at Buckingham Palace! Both are charmingly bizarre; a pity neither survived.
ReplyDeleteThere is a gorgeous Pompeian room in the palace of Grand Duchess Nikolaevna and a beautiful book about the palace by Zoia Belykova.
ReplyDeleteP.s. GD MARIA Nickolaevna.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity that neither of these rooms survived but I guess the style went out of favour as others came in.
ReplyDeleteHow long did the pompeian dinning room survive before it was changed to the Rococo style we see now? I'm guessing it was around the time Nicholas II & Alexandra took over the apartments?
Ghostie x.